Franklin council to consider microbreweries bylaw

FRANKLIN - A bylaw change that would allow local microbreweries or wineries to have tasting rooms is a step closer to reality.

The Town Council is set to take up the measure in June after it received approval from the Planning Board at its May 22 meeting.

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the board passed the change, but altered one aspect of the proposal - the square footage of a microbrewery's facility that could be devoted to a tasting room.

"What we had done originally is allow (a tasting room of) 33 percent of the square footage," Hellen said. "The Planning Board scaled that back to a quarter."

Hellen said he believed the change was made to bring the bylaw more in line with other town bylaws. He added that he did not believe the move was a major one.

"The city of Salem, whom we had partially modeled the bylaw off of, had a 25 percent restriction," he said.

The change must now come before the Town Council. A public hearing and first reading of the bylaw, Hellen said, is set for the council meeting on June 7. If all goes well, a final vote may take place at the council's June 28 session.

The matter came before the council's economic development committee in March, with local officials noting that craft beer had seen increased popularity in recent years. At that meeting, committee members noted that there was a successful microbrewery in Hudson, and a new facility - the CraftRoots Brewery - had recently opened in Milford.

The committee's chairman, Andrew Bissanti, said he believed the bylaw would help develop spaces in town that might otherwise go unused.

The Town Council voted in April to refer the change to the Planning Board, though Councilor Deborah Pellegri did express concern as to whether tasting rooms would present a burden to police.

Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or mgleason@wickedlocal.com. For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MGleason_MDN.